SERVING THE MEMBERS' CLUB WITH A SOCIAL CONSCIENCE: VOLCANO IS THE CONDUIT'S COFFEE OF CHOICE

The Conduit, a new home for social change-makers in London, has chosen Volcano Coffee to fuel its members as they strive for positive social impact.

Through the power of community The Conduit and its members, some of most exciting positive impact brands in the world, will seek to step up and tackle the world’s most pressing issues.

The Conduit is working closely with the Sustainable Restaurant Association and the UN Sustainable Development Goals to ensure that the food and drink they serve adheres to rigorous sustainability practices, and that includes the coffee too.

We have introduced The Conduit to Santiago Londono - a fourth generation coffee producer at the Hacienda Mallorca in Caicedonia, Valle del Cauca, Colombia. Santiago will be growing and producing all the coffee served in The Conduit on his farm, sourced by the Red Associations, and roasted by Volcano Coffee Works.

Santiago's Hacienda Mallorca is a 51 hectare family farm. His great-grandfather grew their first Typica coffee crop there in 1932, and today it produces micro-lots of specialty coffees - 50% Caturra variety, 30% Geisha and 20% Yellow Bourbon.

The farm is very eco-conscious. It started its sustainability programme in 2003, and in 2006 received its Rainforest Alliance certification. For Santiago, it is clearer everyday that climate change is a reality and his strategy is to adapt to it, so that’s why their goal is to improve the resilience of the farm the ecosystemic way.

Now the 18 natural springs on the property are protected by conservation forests, and all of the water used in the farm’s domestic and industrial processes is filtered and treated before being returned to the environment.

Recently, the farm has implemented organisational innovation to include local women in the coffee value chain. The women are responsible for picking and selecting the varietals and differentiated micro lots. Hacienda Mallorca's objective is to adapt the infrastructure of the farm to fulfil of the needs of local women.

In addition to their unique coffee varieties and devotion to the environment, Santiago Londono and the Hacienda Mallorca place a strong emphasis on post-harvest processing. They mainly produce fully-washed coffees, combining traditional techniques with more experimental controlled fermentations.

They produce some of the best coffees in Colombia, including semi-washed (honeyed) and natural coffees - processes rarely seen in Colombia.